Xia Zhengqi stared at the queen with wide eyes and signaled with his eyes, "Do you still remember this?"
The queen shook her head in confusion.
"Your Majesty, do you remember? Ten years ago, I was confined to my own palace for three months because I angered the Empress Dowager. Could it be that Zhou Baolin's house arrest happened during this time?"
Xia Zhengqi looked at Debao, Yingxue, Sang Qi, and other senior palace servants and asked, "Do any of you still remember Zhou Baolin's house arrest?"
Debao said, "I remember that Concubine Jiang only said that Zhou Baolin was sick and would infect others, so she moved her to a secluded place to recuperate."
Xiao Luzi also agreed, "Yes, yes, that's right, Eunuch Debao is right, that's what happened at the time. After that, I never saw Zhou Baolin again. Concubine Jiang just said that she was suffering from a serious illness and was incurable, so she sent her away."
Xia Zhengqi secretly clenched his back teeth.
How dare you do such a thing in the harem!
Jiang Qiqiu, yes, Jiang Hui must also have a share.
Xia Zhengqi suppressed the anger in his heart, looked at Zhou Baolin and said, "Go on, what happened next?"
Zhou Baolin spoke slowly, "Later, I was placed under house arrest. My belly grew bigger day by day, and Concubine Jiang sent people to bring me food and drink every day until I gave birth."
"Later, I gave birth to a baby boy. I held him for only an hour before Concubine Jiang's men snatched him away." Zhou Baolin's tone became difficult when she spoke here.
"Afterwards, a few days later, a young eunuch came to announce that I was suffering from a serious illness and could no longer accompany the king. I was banished to the cold palace."
Zhou Baolin seemed to think of the past ten years that he could not bear to look back on, tears streaming down his face, and he cried silently.
"I have been imprisoned in the cold palace for over nine years. Until tonight, the fifth prince and the little princess accidentally broke into my cold palace."
"I looked at the birthmark on the fifth prince's face and confirmed that he was the child I gave birth to that year." Zhou Baolin was already sobbing.
Xia Zhengqi clenched his fists and slammed them on the table again and again: "Outrageous! Outrageous!"
He recalled that when Concubine Jiang became pregnant, she never let him touch her belly, citing the unstable fetus.
Moreover, after giving birth, Concubine Jiang recovered quickly and well, and her figure was still like that of a young girl.
Yes, Jiang must have never given birth to a child.
Besides, my daughter has great powers and she would not speak nonsense.
"Call the imperial physician who was responsible for taking care of Concubine Jiang's fetus and the imperial physician who treated Zhou Baolin, all of them here, immediately!" Xia Zhengqi roared.
When Doctor Chen received the news that he had to go to the palace immediately, he had just finished having New Year's Eve dinner with his family.
As a senior physician in the Imperial Medical Service, it was not his turn to be on duty on New Year's Eve.
He was just sipping tea happily with his full stomach when he was twisted and taken away by a group of ferocious eunuchs.
"What are you doing? Is some distinguished guest ill?" Doctor Chen was a little flustered, but no eunuch answered his question.
Doctor Chen was carried by two eunuchs and thrown to the ground outside the cold palace.
Eunuch Debao walked up to Xia Zhengqi and spoke clearly, "Your Majesty, I have checked the medical records and found that it was Doctor Chen who diagnosed Zhou Baolin's serious illness, diagnosed Jiang's pregnancy, and took care of her during her pregnancy."
When Doctor Chen heard Debao's words, he had guessed almost everything and realized that it was his own incident that happened again.
"Doctor Chen, I want to ask you, were you the one who diagnosed Zhou Baolin with a serious illness back then?" Xia Zhengqi glared at Doctor Chen fiercely.
When Doctor Chen met the emperor's gaze, he shuddered all over, as if he had been electrocuted.
He stammered, "Yes."
Zhou Baolin stood up suddenly and faced Doctor Chen, his eyes as bright as copper bells. "Look at me, do you know me?"
Doctor Chen was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his lips trembling and unable to speak.
"Doctor Chen, I was a newly arrived court lady in the palace. You've never seen me and don't even know me! Yet you claim to have treated me!" Zhou Baolin's tone was firm, as if he was conducting a trial.
"Old man... Old man..." Doctor Chen stammered twice and was unable to speak.
With a "bang", Xia Zhengqi picked up the teacup on the table and smashed it at Doctor Chen.
"You are such a bold creature!"
The teacup hit Doctor Chen's forehead, and blood oozed out instantly.
Doctor Chen cried out "ouch" and was so frightened that he didn't even dare to wipe the blood.
"I can't remember clearly, it's been too long... Your Majesty, I did not deceive you." Doctor Chen kowtowed hurriedly.
"Let me ask you again, was it you who diagnosed Jiang's pregnancy pulse back then?" Xia Zhengqi's eyes were about to spit fire.
"Yes..." Doctor Chen lowered his head, his voice trembling.
Debao tactfully handed the two medical records to Xia Zhengqi.
One is about the concubines' illnesses, and the other is about Concubine Jiang's pregnancy and childbirth.
Xia Zhengqi picked up the medical record and looked at it carefully.
According to the medical records, there was only a two-day difference between the time when Concubine Jiang was diagnosed with her pregnancy and the time when Zhou Baolin was diagnosed with the serious illness.
The day Zhou Baolin was diagnosed with an incurable disease and unfit to interact with others was the same day Concubine Jiang gave birth to her child.
Xia Zhengqi threw two medical records in front of Doctor Chen and said coldly, "Just look at the time on them. What else can you say?"
Doctor Chen gritted his teeth and picked up the two medical records, pretending to look at them, sweat already pouring down his forehead.
"The Jiang family forced me to do this!" Doctor Chen said in a tearful voice.
"Doctor Chen is deceiving the emperor and should be handed over to the Dali Temple first!" Xia Zhengqi said coldly.
Doctor Chen collapsed to the ground instantly.
Two guards stepped forward and carried Doctor Chen out.
Xia Zhengqi stepped forward, helped Zhou Baolin up, and said softly, "Ms. Zhou, you have suffered a lot over the years."
Zhou Baolin's eyes turned red and tears fell like rain.
[Great! Looks like Dad believes it!] Xia Miaoyuan was also moved to tears.
Xia Zhengqi looked at Zhou's haggard face and blamed himself, "This is all my fault! I selected you and brought you into the palace, but I didn't care enough about you, giving that vicious woman the opportunity to take advantage of you."
Daddy is quite self-reflective. Isn't that right? He brought so many young ladies into the palace, only to have sex with some and then throw them aside, while others he never even saw. Those women spent the rest of their lives trapped within these high palace walls.
"Father!"
Xia Zhengqi was still feeling guilty when the fifth prince came over and pulled at the corner of his clothes.
"Father, can you please get my mother out here as soon as possible? This place is truly terrible."
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